The present invention relates generally to the creation and customization of videogame objects and to the physical substantiation of those videogame objects.
Videogames are enjoyed by many people. Videogames allow videogame players to participate in a variety of simulated activities. They also allow videogame players to perform roles and experience activities that the game players may not be able or desire to experience directly, whether due to cost, danger, or equipment concerns, or simply due to a role or activity being a fantasy.
Because videogames are generally provided by way of an electronic device (e.g., a game console) and a display (e.g., a television screen), they often lack a physical component by which videogame players may physically interact with the videogame's virtual world and the virtual objects within. Despite the audiovisual improvements achieved by videogames in recent times, game play experience largely remains two dimensional. Merely interacting with a displayed simulated environment may not allow videogame players to fully relate or connect to game play, with a sharply distinct separation between a virtual world and the world physically inhabited by the videogame players.
Some videogames make use of pre-packaged toys that may be representative of videogame objects (e.g., characters, items, weapons, vehicles, buildings, etc.), adding a “real-world” element to videogame play. However, players may not be able to easily modify such pre-packaged toys to reflect in-game customizations made to their corresponding objects. In addition, videogames may allow players to create their own custom objects, but players may not be able to readily bring these custom virtual objects into the real world.